Tattered
by artificialmasquerade
Summary: There was no getting around it: Millions Knives was a bad guy. But, despite her best effort, Milly Thompson couldn't find it in her heart to hate him.


**AN:** I was informed that there was a lack Millyon stories (Milly/Millions pairing). I liked the idea and decided to write one. This is my first posted Trigun fic. (I currently have another one in the works that will be chaptered.) I hope you enjoy it. :)

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><p>There was no getting around it: Millions Knives was a bad guy. He'd committed countless terrible acts and had been the sole cause behind the deaths of many, many innocent people. He had even murdered the man she was in the process of falling in love with.<p>

Yes, he was a despicable being.

But, despite her best effort, Milly Thompson couldn't find it in her heart to hate him. She had every reason to, every right, but couldn't bring herself to hit him, scream at him, or even look at him the wrong way. Every time she tried to muster up the courage to say something to him, she saw the image of Vash carrying him- injured and clinging to life- on his back. She remembered Vash's hesitant smile and hurried explanation. He insisted that his deranged brother had simply lost his way and he was determined to change his negative views. She remembered Meryl's frustration and refusal to treat his wounds. She even remembered her own reaction:

_"Lay him on the bed, gently," _she had instructed all those weeks ago.

She hadn't thought at the time that she was helping the man who had ended lives. She simply wasn't thinking; only reacting to help a person in need. Vash had been grateful for her help. Even Meryl conceded and volunteered to aid his recovery soon after, but Milly had a suspicion that her aim was only to gain Vash's favor as well.

Knives had regained consciousness quickly and soon denied their help. He was demeaning and rude and, though bedridden, refused any food brought to him. Vash was soon at his wits' end, worrying day and night about his brother's health. When he would enter Knives' room to talk to him, the villain would throw whatever was in his reach and make vulgar threats. He was like a cornered animal; stuck in a cage full of humans with no way out.

Milly saw all this. She saw how stubborn and headstrong he remained, even in his condition, and something about his behavior reminded her of the man she had lost. How could she hate him after being aware of that? She was probably the only one who understood his actions. Perhaps not the _why_, but certainly _how_ it was possible for him to be that way.

And today was the day, she decided, she was going to try to talk some sense into him. Maybe she could convince him to give up his hatred. She could certainly try at least.

She stood outside his bedroom, hesitating only a second before giving the door a solid knock.

"Go away, Vash! I don't want to hear your human-loving propaganda!" a snide voice shouted from the other side.

"It's me, Milly," she replied. She took a deep breath, turned the handle and pushed to door open. She dodged a lamp that was thrown at her head.

"Even worse," Knives spat.

Even worse was right, Milly thought. He looked awful. Angry purple bruises covered a good portion of his face and bandaged torso. He struggled just to sit up to allow himself a wider reach of the objects in the room. Milly was swift to gently push him back down and remove a book from his hands.

"I just want to talk, Mr. Knives. You just lay right there and listen to me, okay?"

His response was a terse, "Get out of my room, pathetic human trash." Nevertheless, he did as she asked and laid there with a sour look on his face. Content that he wasn't going to try to throw anything, Milly sat down on a wooden chair that Vash had placed at his bedside. She was slightly surprised he hadn't thrown that, not thinking that with his injuries it was probably too heavy for him to lift.

"What do you want?" he growled. "Spit it out and leave, human."

Milly gazed at him with pity. A thin sheen of sweat saturated his scrunched brow. His eyes were shut tightly and the corners of his mouth twitched in a deep frown. Despite his angry appearance, he resembled Vash very closely. Slowly, she reached out and brushed a strand of damp blond hair from his forehead. He twitched violently at the act and grunted in annoyance.

"Don't touch me, filth."

"You killed Mr. Wolfwood." It was a simple statement, not an accusation. There was no emotion in her voice.

"I ordered his demise, yes. He was simply a tool." His tone was devoid of feeling as well.

They sat in silence, neither moving. Milly turned her gaze out the window and watched the wind blow up the sandy street. People passed by on foot and by wagon, going about their days ignorant to the fact that their town currently housed the single most dangerous man in the world.

"I don't hate you. You took him away, and I can never forgive you it, but I don't hate you."

Knives' eyes opened in surprise. He turned his head slightly to get a better view of her. She was still gazing out the window and smiling faintly.

"Well, I hate you," he responded stubbornly, whipping his head around to face the opposite wall.

"I don't think that's it at all, Mr. Knives," she continued. "I think you're just afraid."

"Afraid?" he asked incredulously. "What reasons would I have to be afraid of such an inferior race? I could kill you all in a matter of hours while blindfolded, human!"

"And yet you haven't," she pointed out. He didn't have a comeback, so she went on. "You fear us because you have not taken the time to understand us. You stubbornly hold onto your negative ways and your hatred because you fear what you do not know."

"Humph." He rotated his entire body so that his back was facing her.

"You're not angry with us, either. You're angry at Mr. Vash."

"Your incessant babbling is getting on my last nerve."

Milly didn't hesitate. She had a lot of thoughts swirling in her head and now they were pouring out of her mouth and she couldn't stop them. "He told me everything. He told me about your childhood and I _know. _I know you were scared and confused and only did what you thought you had to."

"What are you talking about, woman? Go away!"

Knives was getting angry, Milly could tell not only by the way he was starting to shout, but by his restlessness. His limbs were starting to twitch and jerk ever so slightly. She was hitting nerves, but she didn't quit. She knew he was dangerous but she couldn't stop now.

"I think you were jealous, too; jealous of Ms. Rem. I think you envied her relationship with Mr. Va-"

Out of nowhere, Knives had pulled a knife from under his mattress and had it positioned over Milly's stomach. She looked down at it with wide, terrified eyes.

"M-Mr. Kn-Kni-Knives-?"

"Shut up! Don't you dare speak another word to me, trash!" The look in his eyes was crazed, but Milly didn't miss the hurt lurking there. "You have no clue what you're talking about! How dare you speak to me that way!"

She took a deep breath and nodded slowly, understanding. She had finally found the heart of the issue. Knives was bitter, his wounds from the past still wide open. She reached her hand up cautiously and paused when the blade jerked in his shaking hands. She caught his gaze in hers and held it, all the while inching her hand closer and closer to the knife. Seconds ticked by at an agonizing pace as the tension grew thicker. After what seemed like an eternity, Milly had wrapped her large fingers around Knives'. His hands, much like hers, were slick and the blade was easy to slip from his grasp. Once free, she let it drop to the floor where it clattered noisily with the floorboards. Hurried footsteps and the banging of the door against the wall signaled someone's arrival.

"Is everything all right in here?" a worried-sounding Vash asked, appearing ready for a fight.

"We heard shouting!" Meryl shouted breathlessly.

Milly finally broke eye contact with Knives and stood, turning to face her friends. The looks plastered on their confused faces were almost comical and she smiled in response. She walked past them soundlessly, pausing at the door as they stood aside to let her through.

"Everything will be all right," she stated, looking over her shoulder. Her friends instantly calmed at her words, thinking the statement was directed towards them. But Knives knew better and grunted, rolling his eyes.

"Stupid human trash..." he mumbled, trying to appear irritated as the blush crept onto his cheeks.


End file.
